First, the basics of using DART:
- Students may get a free DART pass. Register for the pass once the semester starts. (DART fares typically are $5 per day.)
- DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) has two major components: the light rail line (train) and the bus service. Your student pass is good on both systems.
- DART is especially good when traffic is heavy in the Dallas area — during the business day Monday through Friday — or when you’re going with a group on an outing — to the State Fair of Texas, for instance — where parking might be tricky.
- DART train’s Red Line runs closest to UT Dallas campus, where it stops at the Galatyn Park Station and the Arapaho Center Station. You can connect by bus to the Red Line or drive to the Arapaho Center Station and park for free.
These are easy trips on the Red Line that won’t require you to transfer train lines:
- The Red Line stops at Park Lane. A three-block walk will get you to the world-famous NorthPark Center shopping mall in Dallas. High-end fashion, restaurants, state-of-the-art movie theaters and popular favorites (such as an Apple store and Nordstrom’s) are at NorthPark Center. As you walk there from the DART station, you’ll pass Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sports Authority, as well as Bed Bath & Beyond, all stores that students love to visit. For bargain hunters, there’s also a Nordstrom Rack nearby.
- If you’re interested in seeing another university in Dallas — Southern Methodist University — and the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, get back on the Red Line, head south again and get off at Mockingbird Station. The Angelika Film Center (which sells discount tickets through the Comet Center), restaurants and boutiques are right at the train station and a short walk west gets you to SMU’s campus. On campus is the presidential library along with the Meadows Museum.
- For more cultural highlights, get back on the DART Red Line and a little farther south, get off at Pearl/Arts District Station to be within walking distance of some of the most renowned museums in the nation. Check out the Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. If there’s time and the weather is nice, walk over to Klyde Warren Park, one of Dallas’ hippest new parks. Food trucks frequently line the perimeter of the park, and games are available to check out.
- If you’re still interested in seeing Dallas, get back on the Red Line and continue south, this time getting off at the West End Station. Here, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy. The Sixth Floor Museum takes visitors through the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. The Dallas World Aquarium gives a peek to all the wonders of the watery world around the globe. And if you’re willing to make the six-block walk, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, one of the city’s newest museums, offers a look at all aspects of science as it impacts daily life and the world we live in.
- Still looking for adventure? Get back on the Red Line, headed south, and get off at the Dallas Zoo Station. Make sure to check out the Dallas Zoo website to check out special events.
Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas Zoo and Sixth Floor Museum all sell discount tickets to students through the Comet Center on campus. If you’re a person who wants to see all of the things to do in Dallas, consider purchasing a City Pass, which gives about a 40 percent discount to numerous attractions throughout the city.
